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22+ Rack Card Templates – PSD, AI, Word, InDesign
Among the different ways to make a product, business, or service stand out through print advertising, the use of rack cards is perhaps the most subtle yet effective. Despite this flexibility, print media advertising is still a competitive industry that business owners need to put serious effort in if they wish to get the most out of their rack card designs.
If you are a business owner, a marketer, or just a regular person who wish to learn new marketing strategies, this article is for you as it provides comprehensive information about rack card designs and templates and how they can help your business. Tips and guides on how to craft a rack card design that truly suits your tastes are all shared below. Read on…
Elements of A Good Rack Card
A rack card is a printed document typically measuring 4 inches by 9 inches. The front and back portion of a rack card are usually printed with photos and/or ad copy. However, some rack cards may only contract print on one side. They are called rack cards because these printed documents are usually placed on racks or small shelves near a store counter, hotel lobby, or a receptionist’s desk. This strategic print ad placement also makes the rack card more likely to catch other people’s attention.
In order to capitalize more from a rack card’s strategic location, it also pays to make sure that a rack card is well-designed as this helps entice customers to pick up a copy of the rack card. Listed below are the top characteristics in a rack card design that will make it even more appealing to customers.
- Striking Color Scheme: Color is one of the first things that humans see when they look at something. To create an equally striking rack card design, a complementary color scheme palette should best be used.
- Appropriate Font Styles: After color, people read the first thing they see on the printed rack card. A well-designed rack card should make use of appropriate and non-contrasting font styles or typeface families to make the entire document more readable.
- Enticing Ad Copy: The space for text in a card design can be very limited. For its design to pop and lure a customer, it needs to contain the most basic pieces of information about a product, service, event, business, or idea while making sure that they follow an appropriately worded and persuasive ad copy.
- Persuasive Call To Action: Aside from the usual enticing ad copy, a well-designed rack card should also contain a matching Call To Action. This can be a short phrase or simple slogan that will encourage a customer to take action. Examples of effective Call To Actions in rack cards are ‘Call Us…’, ‘Get Free…’, Try This Exciting…’.
- Coherent Overall Design: For a rack card design to truly grip a customer’s attention right at first glance, all of the key elements that we have listed above should help create a coherent image or theme. When all these graphic design elements work together, looking at the rack card as a singular entity will be easier and it will make the whole thing more visually pleasing.
19+ Rack Card Templates
Embedded below are rack card designs and templates that anyone may use for their own businesses, events, or product promotions and incorporate into their respective advertising plans. Take a look at all these sample printable templates below.
Marketing Agency Rack Card Example
Spa Rack Card Template
Royal Resort Rack Card
Food Catering Rack Card Template
Advertising Consultant Rack Card
Catering Rack Card Template
Creative Agency Rack Card
Advertising Agency Rack Card Design
Salon Rack Card Template
Coffee Shop Rack Card Template
Catering Menu Rack Card Template
Nail Salon Rack Card Template
Coffee Shop Advertisement Rack Card Template
Daycare Rack Card Template
Soccer Rack Card Template
Event Rack Card Template
Handyman Rack Card Template
Photographer Rack Card Template
Travel Rack Card Template
Gym Rack Card Template
Music Festival Rack Card Template
Steps to Designing a Good Rack Card
In the first part of this article, we have shared the key elements that should be found in a rack card for it to be considered a good rack card. In the next few paragraphs, we will be outlining the specific steps on how to create a rack card that embodies all the vital characteristics we discussed earlier.
- Choose a theme or motif. A theme or motif creates a sense of unity on the rack card design. It connects the physical rack card with the type of business, service, or product you are selling or promoting on the rack card.
- Determine what rack card layout to follow. A layout is the arrangement of all the different component parts of a rack card design. You may follow a standard layout (with one picture and a line of text below it) or you may create a new layout depending on the type of message you wish to convey on the rack card.
- Choose a color scheme. Next, choose a color scheme that will best express connect the rack card’s design with your official branding identity. For example, if your daycare center uses a red and gold color scheme in your school logo, your daycare rack card design should best incorporate a color scheme that complements your official school colors.
- Choose two to three font styles belonging to the same typeface family. A typeface family is a group of font styles that contain the same features. To create high-impact lettering in your rack card, it is best to choose two or three essential font styles that belong to the same typeface family. This creates contrast and varying degrees of emphasis in your rack card’s text without overwhelming the reader’s eye.
- Look for photos or illustrations for your rack card. Rack cards are not as effective if they do not have a visual component in them. Therefore, handpick the best images, illustrations, and drawings for your rack card beforehand. This will make it easier to format the card design later on.
- Add your business or personal branding identity designs. Do not forget to add your business’ branding identity designs into the rack card design. A simple business logo or company name will greatly help increase brand recall.
- Combine all graphic design and layout elements on a blank rack card template. Once you have completed all the steps above, it is time to combine all these graphic design and layout elements on a black rack card template. A blank template can easily be created using graphic design software tools like Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign. With the help of these software tools, arrange all the design elements in a creative and visually appealing way.
- Write persuasive ad copy. Most software tools will allow you to create text boxes and format them according to your preference. After formatting all the graphic design elements, you can now begin adding all the ad copy or text into the template itself. Test out different versions of the ad copy or text until you create something that is both unique and enticing without sounding too sales-y.
- Alternatively, use a pre-made rack card template design. Use pre-formatted rack card template designs if you want to save time and effort in creating a rack card design from scratch. Multiple examples of these free templates are embedded in above.
- Review the rack card template for typos and inconsistencies of the design template. Now that you have formatted and typed all the rack card ad copy, have another person proofread and evaluate the entire rack card design and its content. Watch out for spelling errors, grammar issues, image inconsistencies, and other issues. Make all the necessary corrections before sending the template file to the printer.
- Print out the template. You can now print the rack card template using your own home printer or you may take it to your local print shop. Remember, rack cards are best printed on thick card stock measuring 4 inches by 9 inches. Then, congratulate yourself for you now have created a rack card in your hands!
Designing a rack card can be relatively easy as long as you orient yourself with the key elements that make up a good rack card design. Re-read the detailed steps above until they all become second nature to you.
Types of Rack Cards
Unlike other forms of printed media documents, rack cards only come in one type that follows the same print size. What differentiates one rack card from another is the purpose to which they are made. A rack card can be informational, promotional, and/or persuasive in nature. And most of the time, rack cards will have all these characteristics or content in one.
For example, a travel agency may create an informational rack card about the different tourist spots in a specific city or town. The same travel agency may also create a promotional rack card that contains all the discounted tour packages that they offer.
Rack Card Sizes
Rack cards typically follow the same standard sizes. However, some printers or clients may request a different size to match the rack card and countertop holders that they own. Listed below are two most common rack card print sizes:
- 4 inches by 9 inches (standard size)
- 3.5 inches by 8.5 inches
Rack Card FAQs
What are rack cards used for?
Rack cards are can be used for promoting and marketing any kind of business, product, event, personality, idea, or service.
Where do you print rack cards?
When using a printable rack card template, these templates can be printed directly through an office or home printer. These rack card template files may also be printed at any professional print shop who can customize the type of paper and add other elaborate printing effects to the finished product.
What is the difference between a rack card and a brochure?
Rack cards and brochures are both print media marketing tools. Their difference lies in their size and number of pages. A rack card is printed marketing document that typically measures 4 inches by 9 inches and will only consist of a front and back page. While a brochure may take on different sizes and consists of at least four pages. There can be bi-fold brochures, tri-fold brochures, and booklet brochures.
What is a rack card template?
A rack card template is a pre-made digital file that contains all the text, images, layout, and formatting styles needed to create a rack card. End-users of these templates can tweak the template design to make them more original and tailor-fitted to the type of rack card they are creating.
Once you have a printed rack card in your hands, your job does not end as you will still need to distribute and combine these rack cards with other advertising strategies for your business or organization. Template.net helps you do that quickly and easily when you use any of the free rack card templates found on the site. Template.net also provides other kinds of printable business and graphic design templates to help you do your job better.
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